72-hour ultimatum for the United Nations in Caracas. The Bolivarian revolution ordered this Thursday the immediate closure of the office in Venezuela of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in retaliation for his criticism of the imprisonment suffered by the Spanish-Venezuelan activist Rocío San Miguel, a prominent figure in civil society. The president of the NGO Citizen Control for Security, Defense and the National Armed Forces remains detained in Helicoide, the notorious prison of Nicolás Maduro’s political police in the Venezuelan capital.
“This decision is made due to the inappropriate role that this institution has played which, instead of presenting itself as an impartial entity, has turned into a private law firm for the coup plotters and terrorist groups that constantly conspire against our country,” stated the revolutionary chancellor, Yván Gil, in what represents an escalating tension ever since Chávez’s son announced the launch of the “Bolivarian fury” ahead of this year’s presidential elections.
The 13 officials assigned to the Technical Advisory Office of the High Commissioner in Venezuela now have three days to leave the country “unless they publicly rectify their colonialist, abusive, and violating attitude, as per the United Nations Charter,” demanded Gil, who further stated that his government will conduct a “comprehensive review” of the technical cooperation initiated with the UN in 2019 over the course of 30 days.
San Miguel’s arrest has triggered a wave of condemnation and criticism, with High Commissioner Volker Türk joining in on demanding “her immediate release and respect for her right to legal defense.” What particularly infuriated the Maduro Government was the description of the activist’s situation as a “forced disappearance,” as she spent over 100 hours in an unknown location without communication, and was not allowed legal representation either before or during her appearance in court on charges of terrorism, conspiracy, and treason for allegedly being involved in an assassination attempt against Maduro. In addition, five of her close family members, including her daughter Miranda, who also holds dual citizenship and resides in Madrid, were apprehended.
In recent hours, Venezuelan organizations have urged the UN Office to increase pressure to verify San Miguel’s physical condition in her place of confinement. The visit of Michael Fakhri, the UN special rapporteur on the right to food, has also compounded the situation for the UN office in Caracas. Despite facing obstacles from the government, Fakhri was supported by the office in his various itineraries. However, his conclusions regarding the CLAP, food bags reminiscent of the Cuban ration book and a cornerstone of the government’s social control system, being “charitable alms” with low nutritional value and poor quality within a system of patronage where critics and opponents are excluded, did not sit well with Chavismo.
“This measure further diminishes the protection of victims in the face of abuse and aims to hinder scrutiny by international bodies tasked with safeguarding human rights in the face of severe violations,” sharply criticized Provea, an NGO that has also come under fire from Chavismo for its complaints regarding the forced disappearance of San Miguel.
“This step is part of the same playbook: escalating aggression against certain political actors while claiming to uphold electoral guarantees and inviting some of the same organizations as observers of the process. When Chavismo feels its hold on power is being challenged, whether through electoral or non-electoral means, they tend to intensify their attacks on the country’s civic space,” summarized political consultant Luis Peche Arteaga for EL MUNDO.